Many service dog owners invest huge amounts of time, money, and hope into training their dogs. And this is not easy.
They train dogs to perform tasks that are directly related to their disability: guiding the blind, alerting the deaf, pulling a wheelchair, calming a person who has a seizure, or interrupting impulsive behaviors for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Read on Sierra Canine for more information.
A service dog, whether a guide, seizure alert or medical aid, must be trained to perform tasks that mitigate a handler’s physical, neurological or psychological disabilities. As such, training a service dog involves a tremendous daily commitment of time. In fact, many trainers recommend a minimum of 30-60 minutes per day of training sessions (depending on the level of skill the owner-trainer has attained). This daily requirement should be consistent and non-negotiable – no exceptions for weather, holidays or work schedules.
The types of tasks that a service dog can be trained to perform are as varied as the disabilities themselves. Some examples include opening and closing doors, retrieving dropped items, providing balance support and assisting with the use of a cane or wheelchair. Some services dogs are also trained to detect and respond to certain health conditions, such as a diabetic seizure or low blood sugar.
In addition to performing specific tasks, most service dogs are also taught to housebreak and to master superior public etiquette, including no nuisance barking or inappropriate sniffing. Training for these behaviors can take up to six weeks.
As the number of disabilities for which service dogs are being trained continues to rise, the demand for quality service dog trainers is increasing as well. In the United States, trainers must hold a certified certification in order to conduct service dog training. Applicants for this certification must undergo rigorous testing and background checks.
Regardless of the type of service animal, all assistance dogs must be focused on their handler and desensitized to distractions so they can immediately and reliably perform their assigned tasks. The tasks may be as simple as guiding someone who is blind, providing mobility assistance or detecting changes in blood sugar and seizures, or as complex as helping their clients to find their way home after an episode of mental illness or waking them from a nightmare.
A few service dogs are trained to provide emotional support or comfort to their handlers. The handler must request this behavior from the dog before it is provided. This type of support does not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act definition of a “trained task” or a “work” and cannot be considered as a legal right to have a service dog accompany them in public.
Distractions
Distractions are common in public, and it’s essential that service dogs learn to ignore them. Distractions can include other animals, people, noises, and more. It’s important that the dog is well-trained in basic obedience training before being exposed to distractions. This will help them focus on their handler and what they’re asked to do. Training sessions with distractions should be short and in a controlled environment like the home or backyard. Then, they can be moved to a more challenging location such as the dog park for further training.
People are some of the biggest distractions for service dogs. This is because touching or petting them causes the dog to shift their attention to the person. It can also result in the dog becoming wiggly and excited which could cause them to miss an alert from their handler or fall. This can have devastating effects for the handler such as injury, hospitalization, and even death.
The ADA requires that service dogs be under control of their handler at all times. That means that if a dog barks repeatedly, or the dog shows signs of aggression towards other people or pets, it may be required to leave a facility or event. The handler must notify public safety of the behavior, and they will ask for the dog to leave if necessary.
Other dogs and animals are a major problem for service dog teams. Many service dogs are trained to ignore other dogs and to not play with them, but this doesn’t always happen in the real world. Fake or poorly trained ESAs and pets frequently lunge at, pester, and attack service dogs which is very distressing for the entire team.
Fortunately, all of this can be avoided if you respect personal space and ask for permission before touching or petting a Service Dog. It is also illegal to interfere with a Service Dog’s work which can result in fines and/or jail time. Just remember that Service Dogs and SDiTs are not there for your amusement; they’re working to help their disabled partners maintain their independence, safety, and quality of life.
Training Methods
Training a service dog is a lengthy and highly individualized process. It requires obedience skills, task foundation behaviors, and chaining these into sequences of behaviors that prevent or relieve the handler’s disabling symptoms. Service dogs may help with many different conditions, such as medical alert dogs that use scent to notify their handler of a possible medical episode, mobility assistance dogs that open doors and retrieve items, or guide or hearing dogs that assist their disabled handlers navigate independently.
A successful service dog training plan hinges on understanding each breed’s natural tendencies and harnessing them with specific training techniques. This approach ensures a well-suited service dog for diverse roles and greatly benefits the individuals they serve.
During temperament screening, trainers evaluate a dog’s ability to remain calm in new environments and to ignore distractions. They also look at the dog’s reaction to loud noises and other potential triggers, such as pain. If a service dog is to help its handler during an anxiety attack, for example, the dog needs to be willing to respond calmly when the handler is in distress. It also helps if the dog can tolerate being bumped or jostled in public, as this is often the case in real-life situations.
Basic training begins with teaching the dog to walk on a leash consistently, regardless of distracting surroundings. This skill is especially important for service dogs, who must be able to work in various environments with minimal interruptions from people and other animals. To build this foundation, trainers expose the dog to many different environments and people as early as possible during training sessions.
Once the dog has basic leash training down, it’s time to train the specific tasks a client’s disability necessitates. Training a service dog is a long and specialized process, and it takes up to two years for a service dog to be fully trained. As such, it’s vital to make sure a service dog in training is trained to react reliably across multiple contexts. This is called response-to-tells training, and can be done by simulating a specific scenario the handler would like their dog to react to.
Communication
Service dogs are highly trained and very specialized, partnering with their handlers for years to offer physical and medical support. They help their owners live more independent lives and perform essential tasks that can be life-saving for people with disabilities, from guiding the blind or alerting the deaf to pulling a wheelchair or calming a person with PTSD during an anxiety attack.
Training is an important part of creating a service dog, but natural traits also make some dogs more suitable candidates. Dogs that are naturally more attuned to sounds, people-oriented and biddable, and balanced-tempered are better equipped to learn public access and sound alert skills, as well as how to behave in various settings.
The best thing you can do when you encounter a service dog is to respect their boundaries and treat them like you would any other person. Unless the handler asks you to pet their animal, it’s appropriate to give them space and communicate with them through hand signals or one-word cues. If the dog needs to block, that’s a normal and necessary training method to create more distance between themselves and an approaching individual for safety reasons.
If you do have to separate the dog from its owner, be mindful of the handler’s feelings and ask if it’s okay before doing so. Many people may feel compelled to chat with the handler about their disability and the role of their service dog, but this is inappropriate and can be distracting. If you do want to talk, it’s best to keep the conversation short and to the point.
Distracting a service dog can cause them to miss a vital medical alert, which could be life-threatening for their handler. In addition, talking to a service dog can confuse it and encourage it to get excited or misinterpret its actions, which can result in the handler feeling uncomfortable or unsafe.